After my recent post about loving the Aussie attitude to adversity, it seems that we’re in the middle of a major turn-around. Prime Minister Julia Gillard is driving a change in the culture in a way that may not be so small. Last year she promised to turn her government’s spending habits around and to… Continue reading Aussie Attitude About-Face
Category: Australasia
When It Rains It Pours
After a decade of drought (with rain appearing only for my return trips) Australia finally has water again – lots of it. Over the past few months large areas of Queensland have been under water. According to one local blogger, the submerged area is greater than France and Germany combined. In 12 hours of January… Continue reading When It Rains It Pours
Plans for the Old Swan Brewery
During the course on Aboriginal interests that I did over the last 6 months, I took particular interest in the conflict over plans for the old Swan Brewery in Perth. Edge of Empire: Postcolonialism and the City by Jane Jacobs was written in 1996 so the issue is long since resolved, but it could easily… Continue reading Plans for the Old Swan Brewery
Intervention
The more I learn about the NT intervention, the angrier I become. Last night I read The Emergency We Had To Have by Larissa Behrendt, the first chapter in Coercive Reconciliation: Stabilise, Normalise, Exit Aboriginal Australia. The book is a critical view of the intervention, written by experts in the weeks following its announcement. The… Continue reading Intervention
The Tall Man and Dragon Bones
Over the mid-semester break, we were asked to read The Tall Man in preparation for discussion on the treatment of Aborigines in the Australian judicial system. This book chronicles the investigation into the death of Cameron Doomadgee in the Palm Island police station and the subsequent trial of Senior Seargent Chris Hurley for physical violence… Continue reading The Tall Man and Dragon Bones
Female Genital Cosmetic Surgery
I wanted an example of a good thesis as I prepare to undertake my first in anthropology and was advised to read ‘Melting Snowflakes – Are Labia the Great Equaliser’ by Lindy McDougall. While it has nothing to do with my focus and I find it suffers from the repetitive tendency of all anthropological work,… Continue reading Female Genital Cosmetic Surgery
Democratic Failings
Australia is preparing for the federal election this weekend, but I feel as lost as ever. It’s always seemed to me that democracy is just a step in the path to something better. It’s never been the answer to all problems in the developing world as the US, UN and most Western leaders would have… Continue reading Democratic Failings
Knowledge is Wealth
In every anthropology subject I’ve done, the students take turns presenting a topic for each week. I volunteered to start this semester because I’m not sure what demands the book will put on me later on. This week, the topic was around what the term ‘hunters and gatherers’ really means. Can we say that Aborigines… Continue reading Knowledge is Wealth
Indigenous Interests
I’ve just started my final coursework subject for my Masters in Applied Anthropology. It’s on Indigenous Interests and Identity and I think I’m in for a fascinating semester. The lecturer has focused his studies on Aboriginal music and media so we’ll be spending a lot of time looking at the traditional owners of this land.… Continue reading Indigenous Interests
Free Health Care in NZ
I’d already decided this would be my last week of snowboarding before the accident. I probably didn’t enjoy it as much as I had in the past because of the lack of snow cover and the flat light that removed all definition from the snow and blended it perfectly with the mist. There was also… Continue reading Free Health Care in NZ